Europe

Over 175.000 military bunkers were built during Albania’s communist-era; though many were blown up, thousands remain: used for agricultural storage, wineries, resource for experimental artists, they are now becoming a tourist attraction

With 77 deaths per million inhabitants, Romania still has the highest road accident rate in the European Union, despite a 4% drop in 2024 compared to the previous year

Poland and Baltic states may be leaving the 1997 Ottawa treaty banning antipersonnel land mines, citing security reasons at the borders they share with Russia

In Kočani, where 59 people died in a fire at a discotheque over the weekend, protesters gathered downtown with placards reading 'we are dying from corruption'; about 20 people were arrested, including government officials and the nightclub's manager

Abundant rainfall has brought dams throughout Portugal near full capacity; the warning that controlled, temporary discharges of water from Odeleite and Beliche dams will be carried out, was saluted with curiosity and surprise as it didn't happen for years

In response to the "alarming political interference" in academic research in the United States, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is opening 12 postdoc positions for international researchers, namely American scholars working in socially significant fields

Luxembourgish Gynecologists's association announced that they are relieved to hear that surgical reconstruction of the hymen and virginity certificates will no longer be allowed; the move is considered a step towards better protection of women's rights

The introduction of the 'lump sum' pension withdrawal option, initially planned for 1 July 2024, will be postponed until July 2026; the measure would allow pensioners to withdraw up to 10% of their pension savings in an una tantum lump sum

British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Plc has decided to buy Belgian biotechnology company EsoBiotec for close to $1 billion to further enhance its oncology capabilities

Hungarian Civic Alliance, the right-wing populist and national-conservative led by PM Orbán, has submitted a proposal to legally ban Pride, the set of events and demonstrations in favour of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community

Singer Miriana Conte will take to the next Eurovision Song Contest a different song as the one previously chosen featured a word in the refrain of the original version that sounds very similar to a vulgar word in the English vocabulary

Saturday's demonstration in Belgrade was the largest ever organised against President Vučić in the four months of protest, with some 107.000 people arriving from all over Serbia; according to others, the number may have been three times as many